


What Was Promised

by annannette (fanetjuh)



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, F/M, Incest, Minor Catelyn Stark/Ned Stark, Minor Lyanna Stark/Rhaegar Targaryen, Parent/Child Incest, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2016-09-11
Packaged: 2018-08-14 12:40:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8014366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanetjuh/pseuds/annannette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A retelling of Sophocles' Oedipus with Jon Snow and Lyanna Stark</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Was Promised

**Author's Note:**

> I took a few liberties with the original story to make it fit the world of Westeros better, but I did try to stay as close to the classic tale as possible

_Prologue_

"You have to take him with you, Ned!" Her eyes were filled with tears and she held the little bundle in her arms as tightly as possible.

Ned had never seen his sister this desperate and he had never heard her beg for something like this before.

"They're going to kill him if he stays with us!" She almost tripped over her own words and the salted drops of water hit the pale cheeks of her baby boy. "You have to take him with you, Ned! I'll make the world forget my last name and you can never tell anyone that he's not your child! Please! They can't kill him!" She stared at her child once more and then, all of a sudden, she placed the baby in her brother's arms.

Ned wondered what this little baby had done to deserve a fate like this.

How could someone hate an innocent child that had just arrived into this world? How could someone want to harm or hurt something this pure and this small?

Tenderly Ned took the baby boy from his sister and he pressed it to his chest.

"Never let the boy find out who he is, Ned." Lyanna Stark begged one last time. "Take good care of him." Her voice broke and was now barely a whisper. "He's your son now."

Ned nodded and carefully he stood up. As slowly as possible he walked towards the huge wooden door of her bedroom.

"Hurry, Ned. Before he comes back..."

Ned had no idea who the he was she was talking about, but he started to walk faster and faster. The one time one of the guards saw him, he hid the bundle of life under his cape and prayed that it wouldn't make a sound. When he eventually reached the fresh air and the carriage that would get him home Ned sighed relieved, but panic overcame him when he realized that he was holding his sister's baby and was not allowed to ever tell the boy about his father and mother. He was not even allowed to visit his sister ever again.

It would be as if she was dead. It would feel as if she was gone. The little baby boy, Ned was thinking about calling him Jon, would be the only reminder that she had ever existed.

The horses started moving and the castle of Dorne disappeared behind the horizon.

Ned had no idea how he had to explain his wife everything that had happened. Maybe it was better if he simply wouldn't. All he would ask her was to treat the boy as if he had been her own son.

_16 years later_

Jon was surrounded by drunk Lannisters and the more they drank, the stranger their stories became. First Jon had been forced to listen to descriptions of their life at court and how primitive their living circumstances here in Winterfell were. Then he had heard them talk about the houses of sin in King's Landing. Jon knew they were trying to make him feel jealous, but to be honest, he couldn't care less about the fake affection those Lannisters seemed to crave for.

"Do you want to hear a secret, Jon Stark?" Tyrion Lannister leaned towards the eldest Stark boy. His breath made clear that he had consumed more alcohol than he could handle. His articulation had lost all royal class too.

Therefore Jon didn't answer the question, but simply frowned his eyebrows.

Apparently the youngest Lannister took that as a yes. "I've heard that you are not a Stark." He was probably convinced that he was whispering, but it was still as if he was screaming the words in Jon's ear. "Rumor has it that your father is not your father and your mother is not your mother." Tyrion continued and he giggled before he took another huge sip of wine.

Even though Jon knew that Tyrion was drunk, he couldn't help staring at his father and mother for a short second.

No one would deny that Jon looked a lot like his father. Ned had often stood in front of a mirror with his son to point out every feature they had in common.

His mother however had never done something like that. She had never smiled at him. She had never hold him. She had never told him how much she loved him. Catelyn had been avoiding him whenever she could and sometimes Jon felt jealous towards his siblings who seemed to get all the love she was not able to give him.

Ned had tried to come up with a thousand explanations. He had tried to explain Jon that he reminded his mother of her own father, who had looked a lot like him. He had told Jon that Catelyn had almost died in childbirth and had therefore painful memories whenever she saw him.

But none of it had ever made much sense to Jon. Not being her son however, did make sense.

"Maybe you should ask them." Tyrion raised his glass again and Jon forced his lips to curl up a little, failing hopelessly.

"I will." Jon stood up from his seat and he made his way through the crowd. At first he wanted to go to his mother to simply ask her if maybe she couldn't love him because he wasn't her child. Then he decided that it was better to look for his father.

Ned was however in a deep discussion with Robert Baratheon and judging the amount of laughter the two of them shared they didn't want to be disturbed.

Jon took another deep breath and eventually he decided to go to the Godswood, far away from the music, the laughter and the alcohol.

"What are you looking for, my child?" The wind whispered and Jon shrugged his shoulders while he sat down with his back resting against the old wise tree.

"Nothing..." He bent his head and he stared at his own feet. Now he was away from the crowd he felt guilty for even believing the drunk story the dwarf had been telling him. How could he ever doubt his own parents? How could he doubt his father and mother?

"Ask your question and we shall answer." The tree projected the words into Jon's mind and eventually Jon took a deep breath.

"Are Ned and Catelyn my birthfather and birthmother?" He didn't say the words out loud, but he repeated them a couple of times in his mind.

For seconds or maybe even minutes there was nothing but silence. The wind was simply blowing and the tree was simply growing.

"You shall kill your father and you shall marry your mother."

Jon's eyes flashed open and his jaw dropped. "What?"

"You shall kill your father and you shall marry your mother."

The entire world started turning. All the food and drinks he had had were thrown out of his stomach. Images of his sword piercing through Ned's heart and his hand holding Catelyn's at the altar occupied his mind.

He had to leave. He had to leave right now. He had to run. He had to flee. It didn't matter where he would go as long as he would go far from here. Jon pushed himself up and he stumbled to the stables to grab his horse. He didn't take the time to grab a saddle, he didn't take the time to grab anything. He climbed on his horse's back and started riding.

_4 days later_

Jon sat down in the grass and watched how his horse was trying to fill it's stomach. Slowly Jon started to feel hungry too. The water he found next to the road kept his stomach full for a little while, but he could feel his entire body longing for more than fluids right now. But he didn't want to stop traveling before he was further away from Winterfell.

"What are you doing here?" A harsh voice interrupted his thoughts and Jon looked up. The guard in front of him was wearing expensive looking metal and he straightened his back a little.

"I'm resting." Jon knew that he actually had to be more polite, but the hunger was taking it's toll. He could barely see who was in front of him and it seemed to be impossible to think straight.

"This is private property." The man cleared his throat again, but Jon rolled his eyes and frowned his eyebrows.

"I'm simply resting here." He shrugged his eyebrows, but the guard grabbed his sword and pressed it to Jon's neck.

"You are not allowed to rest here." The guard was now screaming and Jon pushed himself up, pretending to follow the man's orders.

Instead however he turned around and grabbed his sword too. Jon had always been a good sword fighter. It had not taken him long to beat his own father and his younger brothers had always been unable to harm him. Within a few moves his sword pierced the guard's artery in his neck.

"We're under attack!" A deep voice yelled and with his sword in front of him the man started running towards him.

If Jon would have been able to think straight he probably would have recognized the man vaguely, but his hunger and the rage he was currently feeling made him blind for everything and everyone. He kept on swinging his sword and killed one man after the other. He didn't notice the blood soaking his shirt. He didn't hear the screams and the begging.

"Please, please, let me live!" A man with white hair and without a sword lifted his arms up while he was already laying on the floor. His eyes met Jon's and Jon felt his heart rate slowing down.

"Do you have food for me?" Jon hissed between his teeth, his chest moving up and down while his heart pumped the blood through his veins. "And do you promise to never tell anyone about what has happened here?" He looked around and for the first time he realized what he had done. "I need to get away from here. As far as possible. Right now." He placed his sword on the man's throat and once more the man lifted his hands up.

"I'm Viserys Targaryen and I will bring you anywhere if you just let me live!" He laid perfectly still and eventually Jon put his sword away.

"Give me something to eat and then get me to Dorne." Jon swallowed and Viserys pushed himself up.

"As you wish, sir."

_Days later_

"We're almost there, sir." Viserys pointed at the horizon and vaguely the coast of Dorne appeared.

Jon had heard the stories about Dorne, but he had never visited this part of Westeros before.

His father had never taken him there and whenever Jon had asked why they were visiting every part of Westeros apart from Dorne he had never gotten an answer. But his father was not here to tell him where to go and where not to go.

"How long?" Jon turned his head to the side and the silver haired man bent his head slightly.

"A couple more hours."

Jon nodded and he turned around to prepare his horse. He had no idea where he would go to in Dorne. He had no idea where he would live. He did hope though that he would find a place where his parents would never find him.

"Are you ready, sir?" Viserys knocked on the door of the stable on board of the ship and Jon nodded.

"Thanks for your help." Jon stared at Viserys for one last time and then he lead his horse to the gangway and jumped on it's back as soon as he could. He didn't get very far though. A few miles later he was held up by a huge crowd covering the streets.

"Is there no one else?" A huge giant screamed, but no one dared to answer.

The people were trembling and shaking, some were hiding behind the backs of the people in front of them, no one dared to run away, but no one dared to be seen either.

"Is there no one else?" The huge giant roared and he grabbed a little girl, who had a teddy bear under her arm and a thumb in her mouth.

"What do you want me to do?" Jon raised his voice and without much trouble the people in front of him formed a path to let him through.

"How good are you with riddles?" The giant waited until Jon's horse had made it's way through the crowd and Jon licked his lips.

"What happens when I'm not good at it?" Jon straightened his back and he lifted his chin a little while he slid of the back of his horse and took a stand on the floor.

The giant was towering over him, but Jon felt like he had nothing to lose.

"You'll die." The giant laughed and the people surrounding the pair held their breath while the giant put the little girl down again.

"What's the riddle?" Jon felt a shiver rolling down his spine, but he ignored it. After all, maybe dying would be the best solution for all his problems and if he wouldn't die, he would have done something to make up for the horrible slaughter he had caused a couple of days ago.

"Pay attention, human." The giant kneeled down and he grabbed Jon and lifted him of the ground. "In the morning it uses four legs. In the afternoon it needs only two. In the evening it goes on three legs. What is it?"

There was nothing but silence for a moment. The people had for sure not heard the words for the very first time. No one knew the answer and that had exactly been the problem.

Actually Jon had no idea either, but he tried to dread the moment while his brain made a list of all the possible options.

No animal fitted the description and there was not a piece of furniture that seemed to fit. Eventually a strange thought crossed Jon's mind.

The answer was a human.

He tried to find a better option, but there didn't seem to be any. "The answer is a human." Jon was surprised that he knew the answer. He had always been a good sword fighter, but he had not known anything if it didn't interest him. "It crawls on four legs when it's a baby. It walks on two when it's fully grown. And once it gets older it uses a stick to lean on."

The giant screamed and screamed and eventually it let Jon go. With stamping feet and it's hands in front of his eyes the giant made his way through the crowed to the harbor.

Jon couldn't see what was exactly happening, but the loud splash that was hearable on the square where he was standing didn't leave much room for his own imagination.

"The giant is defeated!" The crowd started cheering and before Jon knew what happened he was lifted by two strong men and carried towards the castle. "The giant is defeated!" They yelled louder and louder and eventually a woman, dressed in black, opened the door of her balcony.

Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, but her beauty was still visible. "Who managed to chase the giant out of this kingdom?" She had a voice that spoke as if she was singing and her eyes met the young boy on the strong shoulders. "Did you free our city from this plague?" She cocked her head slightly and Jon nodded. "What's your name?"

Jon swallowed. Normally he would have answered Jon Stark without hesitation, but word traveled fast in Westeros and he didn't want his parents to find out where was. "Jon Snow, my queen." He bent his head slightly, but the queen demanded the men to put Jon down.

"Jon Snow, as a reward for your courage and your bravery I would like to offer you my hand." She took a deep breath and Jon shifted his weight from one leg to the other when his feet were resting on the ground again.

In the back of his mind he heard the words of the trees. If he would marry Lyanna Targaryen he would at least make sure he would never fulfill the prophecy. "It would be my honor, my queen."

_19 years later_

The people of Dorne had gathered in front of the castle. Some of them were carrying the lifeless body of a loved one, others were covered in bumps and had a warm and glowing skin. Months ago the first people had started to get ill, but no matter what Jon and Lyanna did, there seemed to be no way to stop it.

"We need to do something." Lyanna walked back and forth in front of the window. During the last few years she had started to wear brighter colors again and she had even given Jon four healthy and beautiful children.

They were blessed with two sons and two daughters and even though their marriage had been based on nothing they had learned how to love each other and their small little family.

"I have sent Viserys to a Godswood. I have gotten answers there. Maybe the Gods will answer again." Jon placed his hands on his wife's shoulders and he pressed his cheek to hers. "I promise that I will do everything I can to solve this problem."

Lyanna turned around and she leaned on the tips of her toes to press a kiss on her husband's lips. "Sometimes you do remind me of my first husband." She smiled and she placed a hand on his cheek. "You share his determination."

Jon smiled back at her and he pressed his forehead to hers. "I only want to do what's best for the people." He looked up when Viserys entered the living room again.

Viserys looked tired and a deep wrinkle covered his forehead.

"Did you get an answer?" Jon wrapped an arm around Lyanna's waist and the smile on his face disappeared.

"Yes, my king, I did." Viserys bent his head slightly and he kept on swallowing. "I do not know if you want to hear it though."

Jon frowned his eyebrows and he let his wife go. "Of course we want to hear it. The people of Dorne are suffering and if there is anything we can do to stop it we will do so."

Viserys took a deep breath and he straightened his back. "Of course, as you wish." He hesitated once more and then he cleared his throat and folded his hands behind his back. "The Gods demand that the murderer of King Rhaegar shall be punished." He exchanged a short look with Lyanna. "The murderer lives among us and shall not escape his fate."

"Well, let's find that murderer then." Jon nodded at the guards, but Viserys raised his hand and ordered them to stand still.

"There is no need to look for him, my king." He stared at Jon a little longer than he should have and Jon held his breath.

The last nineteen years had he almost forgotten about what had happened long ago and how he had killed innocent men who had not deserved to die. Right now the images flashed through his mind becoming less and less blurry every time they repeated themselves.

"I killed Rhaegar Targaryen..." Jon whispered the words and Lyanna covered her mouth with her hand. "I was young and naive and I didn't know what I was doing..." He tried to explain what had happened, but he knew he couldn't.

There were no excuses when it came to mass murdering.

"I had just heard from the Godswood that I would kill my father and marry my mother and..." Jon couldn't finish his sentence.

Lyanna's scream echoed through the room and the next moment she was on the floor, her forehead sweating, her breathing heavily.

Jon kneeled down next to her and he placed her head on his upper legs while he patiently waited until his wife would open her eyes again.

"Jon..." She could barely speak and she swallowed a few times as if she had a bitter taste in her mouth. "Jon Snow..." She hesitated for a moment and the back of her hand touched his cheek. "What's your real name?"

Jon shook his head and he stuttered while he said the word that had never crossed his lips ever since he had left Winterfell nineteen years ago. "Stark, my name is Stark."

"Jon Stark..." Lyanna repeated the word and her eyes widened. "My son..." She closed her eyes again and all of a sudden Jon realized what had happened.

Tyrion Lannister had been right. The Godswood had been right.

Jon had killed his father and had married his mother.

Carefully he lifted his mother and wife up and carried her to her bedroom. Gently he placed her on the sheets, made of silk and with a sigh he turned around to give her some rest and to get her some water. When he returned half an hour later however he discovered that the bed was empty and the sheets were gone.

The lifeless body of his wife dangled from the balcony. Her skin turned blue already and the people on the square stared at it in shock.

As quickly as he could Jon carried the body back inside, but he realized that everything had been his fault. He had been the one killing his father. He had been the one condemning Dorne to this horrible disease. He had been the one to marry his mother and because of that Lyanna had committed suicide. His trembling hands grabbed the sword that was attached to his belt and he poked his own eyes with the sharp point. His scream, both from physical and emotional pain, was hearable in the entire kingdom, but Jon knew that the only way to free this kingdom from his shame was having his head separated from his body. It was the least he could do for the people who had endured so much because of him.


End file.
